Graduate Certificate in Public, Non-Profit & Community Leadership Certificate

Previously 15 credits, Starting Fall of 2025 12 credit hours (4 classes)

The Public, Non-Profit & Community Leadership Certificate is a valuable academic credential that reflects the participant's scholarly achievement in courses related to public policy, local politics and/or community leadership. The program offers participants simultaneously seeking a master's degree, or those pursuing this certificate without a degree, the opportunity to develop knowledge, skills and political acumen to lead more effectively within your organization, jurisdiction or community. Starting in the fall term of 2025, certificate requirements will be adjusted to require four courses representing 12 semester hours of credit.

This certificate is administered by the Center for New Directions in Politics and Policy. The required course and some electives will be delivered through the New Directions weekend intensive (three weekend) format taught by practitioners. Other electives are offered by Political Science faculty through traditional, weekly courses offered in-person or remotely over the course of a full term.

A certificate is an excellent way to explore whether you'd like to pursue a full Master's degree. For students who enroll as non-degree seeking, up to all 12 of your non-degree certificate credits could be transferred into a full Political Science or applied Political Science New Directions Master's Degree program, upon departmental approval and acceptance into the graduate program.

Accreditation Information for Graduate Certificate in Public, Non-Profit and Community Leadership

Public, Non-Profit and Community Graduate Leadership Certificate

Outcomes Assessment Plan

Updated November 2024 Based on Forthcoming Fall 2025 Catalog Requirements

Certificate’s Educational Goals: This credit-bearing graduate certificate engages students in a locally focused program that spans state or local government, community organizing and community development. The curriculum is anchored in practices of local civic engagement and deepening understanding of politics and the intersections and impacts of local government decisions and community movements for traditionally marginalized communities. Certificate courses provide real-life case studies and build skills for students currently engaged in or seeking careers in local governent or community-based organizations, as well as for students who simply seek to be more actively engaged as local leaders. Students may pursue this certificate while earning a degee in Political Science or another field to enhance careers in local government, social work, sociology, education, public elected office, policy analysis, research, as a program director or executive director or more. Students also may pursue this certificate without a degree.

Certificate Learning Outcomes: Graduates of the Public, Non-Profit and Community Leadership Certificate program will:

Analyze structural roots of community problems and sources of community strength
Critique public, non-profit and community organizing and/or leadership strategies, depending on issue or community context
Apply critical thinking skills to solve collective problems in a manner that improves the public good
For students without relevant work experience, opportunities to deepen involvement with diverse communities and real-world challenges through an internship that allows students to reflect on the relationship between theory, political practice and potential career paths.
Effectively communicate findings and recommendations to specific audiences

Curriculum and Assessment Map: The Public, Non-Profit and Community Leadership certificate requires students to complete four graduate-level courses. One course is required: PSCI 5914 (Community Organizing and Development) and PSCI 5959 (Individually Structured Internship). Two courses are electives, and must be drawn from the following list:

PSCI 5009 Politics of the Budgetary Process
PSCI 5024 State Politics: Focus on Colorado
PSCI 5025 Local Governance and Globalization
PSCI 5075 Gentrification and Social Equity
PSCI 5084 Local Government and Administration
PSCI 5094 Urban Politics, Planning and Development
PSCI 5124 Denver Politics
PSCI 5206 Social Movements, Democracy and Global Politics
PSCI 5265 Social Justice and Globalization
PSCI 5274 Conflict Resolution and Public Consent Building
PSCI 5324 Politics, Public Policy, and Leadership
PSCI 5414 Non-Profits and Social Change
PSCI 5424 The Social Economy and Sustainable Development
PSCI 5434 The Cooperative Movement: Politics and Policy
PSCI 5548 Labor Law and Collective Bargaining
PSCI 5008 Topics Courses—When Relevant and Approved by Program Advisor
PSCI 5840 Independent Study—When Relevant and Approved by Program Advisor
PSCI 5959 Individually Structured Internship

The table below maps the learning objectives to the required course, and provides examples of typical assessments with respect to each learning objective.

Learning Objective	PSCI 5914
Analyze Structural Roots of Community Problems and Strengths	Short Papers & Final Project
Critique Public, Non-Profit and Community Leadership Strategies	Class Papers & Final Project
Apply Critical Thinking Skills to Improve Public Good	Possible: Final Community- Based Action Research Project
Deepen Involvement with Diverse Communities	Possible: Final Community- Based Action Research Project
Effectively Communicate Findings	Class Papers and Oral Presentation OR Community-Based Presentation

Assessment Data Collection and Analysis: Assessment for each learning objective will be undertaken at the time of conclusion for any of the required courses, using the rubrics below. Assessments will be conducted by reviewing relevant course records, and in consultation with relevant instructors. Assessment of achievement of learning outcomes for all students in the course will be conducted, providing evidence of the extent to which the opportunity to master learning objectives was provided to certificate student who might have been in the courses.

Learning Outcome 1: Analyze structural roots of community problems and sources of community strength

Category	Percentage of Students	Rubric
Exceeds Expectations		Demonstrates a broad and sophisticated understanding of the structural roots of community problems and sources of community strength. Shows strong ability to link local dynamics to broader political, economic, historic, cultural or global forces that shape local life.
Meets Expectations		Demonstrates a solid understanding of the structural roots of community problems and sources of community strength. Shows some ability to link local dynamics to broader political, economic, historic, cultural or global forces that shape local life—but may demonstrate lack of depth in grasping either broader structural forces or in describing local manifestations.
Below Expectations		Demonstrates a limited understanding of the structural roots of community problems and sources of community strength. Shows only limited ability to link local dynamics to broader political, economic, historic, cultural or global forces that shape local life.

Learning Outcome 2. Critique public, non-profit and community organizing and/or leadership strategies, depending on issue or community context.

Category	Percentage of Students	Rubric
Exceeds Expectations		Demonstrates a sophisticated understanding of effective public, non-profit and community organizing and/or leadership strategies, depending on issue or community context. In field work, student demonstrates an ability to identify relevant challenges to effective leadership in a given context, and to identify/evaluate promising responses to those leadership challenges.
Meets Expectations		Demonstrates a solid understanding of different public, non-profit and community organizing and/or leadership strategies, depending on issue or community context. In field work, student might struggle to identify/evaluate multiple promising responses to specific leadership challenges in a given context.
Below Expectations		Demonstrates a limited understanding of different public, non-profit and community organizing and/or leadership strategies, depending on issue or community context. In field work, Student struggles to identify a promising response to specific leadership challenge in a given context.

Learning Outcome 3: Apply Critical Thinking Skills to Improve Public Good

Category	Percentage of Students	Rubric
Exceeds Expectations		Community-based action research project and/or student’s performance in field internship demonstrates nuanced and sophisticated understanding of specific community challenges/opportunities, and impressively creative approach to addressing those challenges/opportunities.
Meets Expectations		Community-based action research project and/or student’s performance in field internship demonstrates solid understanding of specific community challenges/opportunities, and student demonstrates diligence and commitment in addressing those challenges/opportunities.
Below Expectations		Community-based action research project and/or student’s performance in field internship demonstrates only rudimentary understanding of specific community challenges/opportunities, and/or student lacks diligence and commitment in addressing those challenges/opportunities.

Category

Percentage of Students

Rubric

Exceeds Expectations

Community-based action research project and/or student’s performance in field internship demonstrates nuanced and sophisticated understanding of specific community challenges/opportunities, and impressively creative approach to addressing those challenges/opportunities.

Meets Expectations

Community-based action research project and/or student’s performance in field internship demonstrates solid understanding of specific community challenges/opportunities, and student demonstrates diligence and commitment in addressing those challenges/opportunities.

Below Expectations

Community-based action research project and/or student’s performance in field internship demonstrates only rudimentary understanding of specific community challenges/opportunities, and/or student lacks diligence and commitment in addressing those challenges/opportunities.

Learning Outcome 4: For students without relevant work experience, opportunities to deepen involvement with diverse communities and real-world challenges through an internship that allows students to reflect on the relationship between theory, political practice and potential career paths.

Category	Percentage of Students	Rubric
Exceeds Expectations		Student demonstrates serious commitment to building connections between university resources and community needs and interests and a creative approach to the practical application of academic skills.
Meets Expectations		Student participates in relevant university-community partnership opportunities, but may not demonstrate a unique personal commitment to this work. Student is capable, but does not stand out, in pursuing a practical application of their academic skills.
Below Expectations		Student is disinterested or undependable in completing relevant university-community partnership opportunities. Student demonstrates rudimentary effort to pursuing a practical application of their academic skills.

Learning Outcome 5: Effectively communicate findings and recommendations to specific audiences

Category	Percentage	Rubric
Exceeds Expectations		Demonstrates a sophisticated ability to conceive of and execute well-organized, polished, and exceptionally effective written and oral presentations. Presentations are mostly free of grammar and style errors, demonstrate evidence of careful review and practice before submission or delivery, and are properly aimed at the audience in question for any given presentation.
Meets Expectations		Demonstrates a solid ability to conceive of and execute organized, polished, and effective written and oral presentations. Presentations are generally free of grammar and style errors, but there may be enough errors to undermine the professional appearance of the product. Though final product is solid, there is evidence that more careful review and practice of final product before submission/presentation would have substantially improved product. Though well-written or delivered, class products may not be well-tailored to the audience in question (whether academic, professional, or community-based).
Below Expectations		Struggles to conceive or execute organized and polished presentations, whether written or oral. Presentations may suffer from multiple grammar and style errors. Final products may lack evidence of careful review or practice before submission/delivery. Class products may not be poorly tailored to the audience in question (whether academic, professional, or community-based).

Schedule for Learning Outcomes Assessment

Achievement of learning outcomes for each student will be assessed at the time of each course’s conclusion. Data will be reported upon the completion of the certificate by five or more students. Managing the assessment process will be the responsibility of the department certificate coordinator and/or Department Chair.

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Graduate Certificate in Public, Non-Profit & Community Leadership Certificate

Previously 15 credits, Starting Fall of 2025 12 credit hours (4 classes)

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Graduate Certificate in Public, Non-Profit & Community Leadership Certificate

Previously 15 credits, Starting Fall of 2025 12 credit hours (4 classes)